SHELBY COUNTY, Alabama -- Waste Pro of Alabama will be handling garbage collection offered by Shelby County and the City of
Montevallo under contracts approved this month that will reduce residential fees in many cases and provide curbside recycling.

Shelby County and Montevallo leaders sought
bids for their trash collection services and in both cases Waste Pro came in as
the lowest bidder on residential service with curbside recycling provided. The County
Commission and Montevallo City Council approved their separate contracts with Waste Pro on June 10.

Both entities have been using Waste Management for
garbage collection, and the new contracts with Waste Pro become effective Oct.
1.

Representatives from both governments expressed enthusiasm
about cost savings associated with the new garbage service contracts.

In a May 29 memo to commissioners, Shelby County
Environmental Services Manager Chad Scroggins noted that residential users are
paying $11.96 per month under the current contract, while the new rate under
Waste Pro will be $11.65.

"The result of the bid is a decrease in collection costs
for all categories of weekly garbage collection services and the inclusion of
bi-weekly curbside recycling to all categories at no additional fee," Scroggins
stated.

Scroggins said the savings for unincorporated Shelby
County and municipalities participating in the contract is $262,373 annually. "The
majority of residents utilizing Residential I service will experience a savings
of $3.72 annually while gaining recycling service that is valued at $5.26 per
month or $63.12 annually per customer," he said.

Residential Level 1 customers get a 90-gallon garbage
cart and two 33-gallon cans serviced once a week and a 90-gallon recycling cart
picked up every two weeks.

Scroggins wanted to see if there could be a cost decrease with the new bid contract that included curbside recycling as a base component of
the service. He calculated the
annual value of increased recycling services in the county at $85,848 based on
16,321 additional recycling customers over the previous 2,110.

Other benefits include "promotion of the
DiscoverShelby.com website on each collection cart, accounting of customer contracts
at a higher frequency, customer information and routing for improved local
response to customer inquires" and better reporting of recyclable materials to
the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, according to his memo.

The county last bid the garbage collection contract in June 2004, when the
effort resulted in a nearly 17 percent decrease in monthly trash fees
to $10.05 per month from $12.05 as of October 2004, Scroggins stated.

Montevallo leaders are excited about the same benefits
coming to their city with the new Waste Pro service contract. The city sought
bids in an effort to explore cost savings that would include curbside
recycling as part of the service.

"For essentially the same price as we are paying now for
garbage service, we will be able to add curbside recycling to our mix of
services," Montevallo City Clerk Herman Lehman said.

"Our hope is that this will encourage those residents who
are currently unwilling or unable to take advantage of our centralized
recycling drop-off center to participate in our city-wide recycling efforts.
Promoting environmental responsibility and sustainability are important goals to
Montevallo and its leaders. Adding curbside service will help us to more
readily achieve those goals," Lehman said.

Waste Management charges an average of $12 per household
for garbage service, while Waste Pro's pickup including recycling will be
$11.98, Lehman said.

"So the costs are essentially the same, but the services
are greatly enhanced," he said.

At the Montevallo City Council meeting on June 10, Waste
Pro of Alabama Division Manager George Nicholson said the company will hold a
job fair to hire new drivers for the routes. "I've got to hire 10 truck
drivers," he said, noting the jobs would pay about $45,000 a year.

Montevallo Mayor Hollie Cost said Waste Pro's service will
resume the city's glass recycling that had stopped recently after Calera-based cement
company Argos discontinued the collection service.

Cost abstained from voting on the Waste Pro contract because
Nicholson is her brother's father-in-law. "Glad to have you aboard," she told
Nicholson after the council's vote to approve the contract. "Glad to have you
in the family in many ways."